Good morning, welcome. I want to speak this morning about bodhisattva response and responsiveness, so how to respond as bodhisattva practitioners, as practitioners dedicated to universal awakening for all beings. And I want to start by commenting a bit on the talk that Brook Siporin gave here Monday evening. A few of you were here anyway, and it's available already on the website, on the podcast, including a link to his handout. So it was a rather, well, a talk about the Four Teachings of Chinese Chantibuddhism, which is kind of in the background of all Japanese Buddhism, too.

[01:00]

But I wanted to focus on, there are four parts, the basic teachings, Four Noble Truths, basic teachings like that, the so-called Theravada, well, the early teaching, pre-Mahayana teachings. Then the early Mahayana teachings focusing on emptiness. But I wanted to talk about the third and fourth, particularly the third was, and this is just a summary, you can listen to Brook's talk, but this is the, what's sometimes called the separate teaching or the special teaching, responding to the Four Noble Truths, to the suffering of the world and so forth, in terms of the immeasurable variety of beings. And this is the realm of the Bodhisattvas, who recognize Buddha nature and respond to

[02:09]

all beings, particularly, and I'll talk more about that. But then what I wanted to comment on was the fourth branch of that teaching, the perfect or round teaching, which is, sees that all things are beyond being unborn, that all things are infinite. So this is the, what I would call the Dharmakaya ultimate teaching, the beginninglessness of all things. So Brook was talking about this in terms of temporality and time periods. This is the sense of the ultimate, unbeginning of all things and unending of all things. So this is the ultimate Dharmakaya view of the whole universe as Buddha, as perfect,

[03:17]

as whole. But what I want to say is that there's a way in which the fourth teaching returns to the third. So it's possible to do Bodhisattva teaching in the way that the third teaching comes up in terms of seeing the suffering of all beings. And the differences between these are subtle. So this is a kind of advanced teaching, but it's possible also, once one has seen perfect round teaching or glimpsed it, to then just return back to Bodhisattva teaching, one doesn't abide in the ultimate teaching. So this is a turn I wanted to give beyond what Brook was talking about, that from the point of view of our practice, whatever glimpse we have of this ultimate universal reality,

[04:22]

we come back to recognizing that there are ways in which there are beings who are suffering, and that we, including ourselves, and we see the Buddha nature of all of that and come back to Bodhisattva teaching. So that's by way of introduction. Again, what is the way to respond to the difficulties in our own lives and the difficulties in amongst our friends and family and in the world as a whole? So these Bodhisattva teachings, one way to see this is from the great Zen master Yun Men, who was one of the founders of one of the Five Houses, lived 864 to 949, so classic

[05:28]

Chan teacher. And known for short answers, although he also gave longer talks. And there's a case in the Blue Cliff Record, case 14, in which a student asks him, what is the teaching of a whole lifetime? Or we could hear that as, what is the teaching of the Buddha's whole lifetime? And Yun Men said, an appropriate statement or an appropriate response. Literally, the teaching meets each event, each time, each season, each situation. So, rather than holding out some motto or some formulation of a teaching that applies to everyone from this perspective of returning from this universal, to respond appropriately.

[06:37]

So, this is one basic way to see how to respond from Bodhisattva perspective. What is appropriate? Now, that's not necessarily always easy to see. How do we, in any situation, see an appropriate response? It is said that every statement by Yun Men has three aspects. So one way these are described is that each statement encompasses heaven and earth. That each statement of Yun Men, or each appropriate statement of a Buddha, we could say, follows the waves. Or each statement or response cuts off the myriad streams. So this is a poetic way of saying it, to unpack that a little bit.

[07:44]

Each response that encompasses heaven and earth includes everything. How do we respond in a way that recognizes and includes all being, all reality, all perspectives? So that's one aspect. The second aspect, following the waves, is to, well, we say, go with the flow. To recognize the situation in terms of how ordinary flowing of the world, the ordinary way in which the world sees things. So that's the second, to go with the flow. And the third, to cut off the myriad streams, is to get right to the point, to focus.

[08:50]

So all of the distractions, all of the myriad possibilities, to just get down to what's really important. So these are the three aspects of Yun Men's statements and of all appropriate statements. So I'll read a little bit from Yun Men's recorded sayings. There's a new translation out from, actually, this is a book that he did a while ago, but Wisdom has republished it. By Urs Opp, APP, who is a fine Buddhist scholar, who I met when I was living in Kyoto. He starts this section corresponding to the occasion that Yun Men, Yun Men is how we say it in Japanese, Yun Men took the Dharma seat to give a talk, and he remained silent for a long time.

[10:01]

Then he said, the knack of giving voice to the way is definitely difficult to figure out. Even if every word matches it, there still are a multitude of other ways. How much more so when I rattle on and on. So what's the point of talking to you right now? So I could stop right there. There are a multitude of ways. There's not one right perspective. So again, he says, even if every word matches it, there still are a multitude of other ways. How do we recognize all the skillful means? All of the different perspectives, the different needs and viewpoints about any situation, any problem we want to respond to.

[11:16]

And then, what is it that's appropriate? So, Urs translates that story. Yun Men was asked, what is the teaching of the Buddha's whole lifetime? And Yun Men said, speaking in tune with any particular occasion. How do we find accord with a particular situation, a particular problem? Whether it's in our own life, our life of the people around us, or in our society or world at large. Right after that, the next entry, someone asked Master Yun Men, what is the eye of the genuine teaching? And Yun Men said, everything. Everything. So again, everything's included. How do we respond?

[12:19]

So our practice, this basic practice that we do in our tradition of just sitting upright, expressing Buddha on our seat with this body and mind, gives us support to find appropriate response. It allows us some sense of calm. Just the fact of being able to sit. Not being able, but showing up to sit upright like Buddha. Face the wall, face our lives, face the world, pay attention. There's a calm that's there, there's a clarity that's there. We listen, so we sit with our eyes open in the same way that we sit with our ears open. And we listen to the whole situation.

[13:23]

And this allows some flexibility. Some sense of different ways of responding. We don't have to get stuck in one approach, or one method, or one formulation. How do we listen to our own thoughts and feelings? Our own physical sensations? Our reflections on our situation today, this week, this world? And then what is the effort involved in that? So there's various aspects of this appropriate response. There's the immediacy, just, hey, how do I respond to this person or this situation? But there's also some effort to be spontaneous, to go beyond our planning and our sense of control.

[14:28]

What is that effort and what is that intention? How do we find our deepest way of responding, of listening, of finding appropriate response? So this is Bodhisattva response, an appropriate response that's informed by awareness of our own intention, our awareness of including everything, our awareness of going along with the situation, the time and season of the particular event, and also not being distracted, getting to the point, without having some plan, without trying to control things. So this works on many levels. It works and it doesn't work, because part of appropriate response is then, oh, well, there was some way in which that wasn't quite totally appropriate,

[15:36]

or it's not appropriate. In the next minute, it may not be appropriate. We have to be willing to respond differently as the situation changes. So Brooke was talking about impermanence and permanence. In some ways, it's set that the situation is changing, and that doesn't change. But how do we find our seat, our place of response to what is appropriate? So, again, this works in terms of our own personal situation, when we have personal fears or confusions or problems, when we have disappointments, when we face some particular sadness in our own life, or when we face some particular joy. How do we respond to that, too? How do we find our own way of, without programming anything,

[16:42]

just being present and responding to the sounds of our life? Of course, this applies also not just personally, but communally, collectively. And we are challenged in that collective response very deeply now, in this time and season, in these appropriate situations. How do we respond to the massive injustice and prejudice in our society? How do we support those who are subject to that injustice, who are not given a fair chance to find their own response? And then there's the existential threat of climate damage, which I won't say so much about now,

[17:43]

but just to note that amongst my fellow Soto Zen teachers, there is now a lot of discussion about how do we respond. And in California and the West Coast, generally, with the wildfires, they're more susceptible to climate catastrophes, although that's coming for our whole species. There are sanghas where the teachers are trying to devote all the energy of the whole sangha to response to the climate damage. So just to report that, and that there's discussions about this, and I'm happy to talk about this here. But I also feel like to bring up our tradition of practice,

[18:44]

and these guidelines, for example, of young men's appropriate response, is also part of our work to keep alive both the response to the really critical damage around us and to our mission in a sense of keeping alive a practice and teaching tradition that allows us to hear about appropriate response and allows us to find our own way. So we each have our own appropriate response, just like I can't tell any of you how to be Buddha. That's something that is uncovered and arises from your own seat as you sit like Buddha. So we each have different appropriate responses. And then this week we've been responding collectively to this threat of pandemic that is all over the news and we know about this coronavirus.

[19:51]

So people in this sangha have in discussion, board members and practice leaders, we've put out a statement about that. Thank you, Douglas. And we have sanitary hand material in the front and back, and please wash your hands regularly. So this is about just responding to that situation appropriately. And as the situation changes, there may be further appropriate responses. But we try and take care of each other and the situation and try and promote health. So all of this is part of what is bodhisattva response? How do we find our way to be present and respond helpfully to ourselves and to so-called others?

[20:54]

Actually, the fourth of Brooke's teachings is about how we're not at all separate. That's actually part of the third too, how we're not separate. So obviously, if somebody is sick in the situation of a bad virus, that can affect everybody in the room. How do we take care of that? That's a very clear example. But even more subtly, when someone is awake in the zendo, when someone's really deeply awake, just sitting there facing the wall, that affects everybody in the room too. How do we find our way to respond appropriately? How do we find our effort without pushing things around, without trying to manipulate things, in a way that is open and listening and flexible and willing to change with a situation?

[21:54]

So this is a subtle issue. And for me, part of appropriate response today is to say a little bit about this. But then I also want to hear from all of you, your perspectives. So part of my appropriate response to considering response is to hear your response. So I want to invite everyone to share reflections or comments or questions about this basic issue. How do we respond to the situations in our life and in the world? So I will stop now, as Yunmin recommended. And anyone who has any comments, please feel free. And you can respond to any particular situation that comes up for you in terms of this talk,

[23:08]

but also to the principle of an appropriate response. Yes, Bill. Well, I appreciate the talk in general. Toward the latter part of it, you mentioned an appropriate response without trying to manipulate a situation. And to me, that's kind of the subtlety of this. You know, it's like you want to respond to different situations, large or small, without kind of grasping, wanting to change something to your kind of personal preference or view, or like you said, manipulating it. And I think that's really challenging, difficult. You know, in my own life, it's like I see things out there that I want to change very badly, but then it's like this process of constant kind of reflection,

[24:08]

so that you're not grasping so much on this idea that you have of how things should be, that it kind of narrows your view so much. So that's really helpful to me to think about, like, what are my actions? Are they, you know, I don't know the right word, authentic or whatever, but not so manipulative, not so needy for that change, to kind of have this constant process of, yes, attending, but then sort of seeing in a much larger view, too. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, so I think it's okay if we have ideas about or views of how things should be or how things might be. But when we want to control, manipulate things to reach some particular outcome, we get caught.

[25:12]

Because the world is alive, so we don't know. We don't necessarily know the results or effects of all of our actions or responses, and yet we can, you know, try. So that's subtle, the thing about manipulating. We can try and encourage certain directions and certain possibilities, but to know that we don't control the outcome, that reality has its own natural process. It has its own waves to follow. It has its own streams to cut off. So it's, yeah, it's subtle. Thank you. Yes, Douglas. I've been thinking about these issues that I've been getting lately, and I think it's helpful, the idea that we are not separate,

[26:19]

and that we are part of this interconnectedness and neutralization. It means that not only are we part of these difficult situations, but our actions will have effects on the situation, and we can contribute to improvements in situations, which helps a little bit to avoid despair sometimes. Yeah. And the other thing is that it seems to me that the fact that we are not separate from one another, means that we can't really act authentically as us and them or me and those people. Where there's disagreement, for example, it's we have disagreement, or some of us have a disagreement. And acting on that, acting within situations, as part of situations,

[27:20]

and as beings who have a relationship with other beings, we're actually enacting the reality of our interconnectedness. It seems to me that that's important. Yeah, there's a mutuality of all things. So our response is not just our response. Our response is our appropriate response. Our particular response is a function of the particular situation we're in, the particular people we know, the particular context of our lives. And yet, it's never just me acting or responding. Couldn't be. We are inter-causative or whatever with everything. But then the other thing you said about not very important these days to not succumb to despair and feeling like there's nothing to do.

[28:27]

There's always some response possible. And everything we do has an effect. And how things change is not so cut and dry or so clear. So part of an appropriate response is that we do respond. Even if you think you're not responding or you're not involved in some issue or problem in your life or in the world, to not respond is a kind of response too. Or to think you're not responding. That's a kind of response too. So everything that happens is a product of many causes, many beings. Anything that we do individually or collectively is also something that will have an effect. And how things will change, even situations that seem really difficult and challenging, we don't know how things will change.

[29:31]

And positive changes happen sort of suddenly. I mean, there's so many examples of that. Where after a long time of people working at it, something actually shifts. So I don't know, I could give many examples. The fact that 100 years ago, it was only 100 years ago this year that women were allowed to vote. Before that, women just weren't capable of exercising the right to vote. That just was assumed. And of course, many women marched and mobbed and there was a long, long movement that eventually culminated 100 years ago this year in women being able to legally have the right to vote. So that's historical. And a more recent example is gay marriage, which was thought of as impossible not that long ago, but then even the Supreme Court said, oh yeah, sure, why not?

[30:34]

Let people who love each other get married regardless of gender preference. So there's lots and lots and lots of examples in between those two and before and later coming. Yes, Aisha. I was reading something this week that I'm going to not quote perfectly, but it was suggesting that our sort of ordinary ways to resist everything that's happening and changing and we'll try to hold on to something and that a more enlightened way of being would be to accept everything that's happening and changing. And I think we can get caught with those two things because and it's sort of subtle, like the difference between changing something and manipulating something. It's like we have to constantly observe ourselves

[31:35]

and constantly do that as we try to change something so that we can observe it, so that we can accept it as it is by way of understanding what comes together to make that. And then by trying to help stretch it or help build a bridge so that maybe it can move into something else, but not resisting what it is. It's just very minute. Yeah, and complex. And so anything, any situation I name, just to name it is to miss the point because it's so complex. But as you were talking, I was thinking, so resisting and accepting part of what's happening in our country now is this massive, so the white supremacy movement, for example, which is filled with hate for non-whites because white people feel

[32:37]

like they're losing their, excuse me for this gross example, but so that produces lots of hate. That's a kind of movement of resistance. Just to accept that is not the point either. So how do we accept things, not passively, but in a dynamic way where we can speak or act against something that is harmful, but also recognize all the ways, all of the streams that have led to that and recognize the pain of the people who are caught in that and then how do we shift or change that without, you know, we can't control exactly the results of how that will change, but how do we respond? So what is an appropriate response to these things? Yes, Aisha. I see that on all different kinds of levels,

[33:37]

but the one that I can respond on is how do we meet a particular being and accept that their life circumstances have given them a particular worldview and that particular worldview may involve some helpful elements but may involve some very harmful elements and how do we help maybe create a different experience so that they have, so that their worldview can change? A different experience, yeah. That's forcing them to change it. Yeah, a different perspective. So part of all of this is just awareness. The more we are aware of our own perspective and the different aspects of what's happening in any situation and then how do we share awareness so people will be more aware of the possibility of kindness and caring and working together?

[34:38]

Are there comments or appropriate or semi-appropriate statements? Yes, Brian. Sometimes I'm aware of how, for me, the difference between maybe working to change something and trying to manipulate or being attached to an outcome has to do with whether or not I spend the time to look at my own baggage. If I do that, if I really am honest, I mean, so often, you know, I face a situation where X is just wrong and it needs to be changed, period. But if my motivation is partly grounded in my own fear or anger or some association with something that's deeper than me, then I'm reacting unconsciously.

[35:50]

Yes. And if I could get to that and be humble enough to say, what am I doing here? Why am I doing this? Then I can actually engage in a way that isn't manipulative. Right. Yeah, so that's one of the major aspects of this practice of Zazen, of just sitting upright and paying attention, is that we see that stuff. We see our own baggage. We see our own fears. We see our own prejudices, our own opinions. They might be very good opinions, but that's just an opinion. And it may not be helpful. Well, it might be a good opinion, but that means that something acts like something that really does need to change. But we muddy the waters with our own attachments and fears.

[36:54]

Right. It makes a mess of it. Yeah. What's that physicist who did Cosmos? I saw him. Carl Sagan. Who's that? Carl Sagan. No, not Carl Sagan. The current. Neil Grass Tyson. Yeah, Neil Grass Tyson. Yeah. I saw him talking about the difference between opinions and what's the other word? Perspectives or viewpoints that are grounded. So he has perspectives based on scientific knowledge. And it's not that it's just his opinion. You may or may not like that perspective, but it's something that's true scientifically. Anyway, that's just another wrinkle on this. How do we see there are things that are, at least from the point of view of conventional truth,

[38:01]

of arising and perishing of things, cause and effect, there are things that are true. But then we might have opinions about those, and that's something else. Anyway, just to throw that in. Thank you. Jason. Somewhere in your talk, I can't, at this point in time, I can't remember exactly what you had said, but it was the teaching of the true Dharma I, or something along those lines. That's, I mean, it's sort of a naive thing to strike me, because we talk about the true Dharma I in so many ways, but the connection between teaching and the I struck me as being kind of wild, because the I is such a passive organ. Oh, I don't think so. Well, I don't think so anymore. I don't think so anymore. But I always thought of the I as a way to consume the world and take it all in.

[39:05]

Right. That my notion of teaching, you know, it's either with utterance or like showing your body, your actions, and things like that. Right. This conversation, this talk that you gave, really spun the notion of I consuming and teaching what that is, and especially in what everyone was kind of talking about. I guess I don't relate you to the I. Well, I think what I was talking about was the Dharmakaya, which is the Dharma body, the true body of ultimate. But I think bringing in the Dharma I is relevant. How do we see in a way that is open to meeting? So another way of translating appropriate is to meet each thing. The teacher meets each, the teaching meets each thing. How do we see? And, you know, Dogen talks about carrying yourself forward and experiencing things, to project, you know.

[40:12]

And in some of the sutras, there's a light that emanates from the Buddha's eyes. But so we do have the tendency to see from the particular context that we, particular preconception and particular context, particular prejudice of how to see things. But part of Zazen is to just look at the wall and our idea about what it is we're seeing can shift. So, yeah, I mean, I think that's an interesting issue that you're raising. How is it that we see? And how is it that we consume and respond? So it's both, you know. We see things in terms of our, you know, well, Dogen talks about how we see Lake Michigan in one way,

[41:23]

the fish see it in another way, dragons see it in yet another way, and so forth. So we're conditioned and we're limited by our own perceptive training and tradition, as it were. But, yeah, how to, how to. So part of, that's right, part of appropriate response is to open up how we see what the situation is. So that means, so listening to other viewpoints is one way that's helpful. But, yeah, thank you. That's an interesting aspect of this. Yes, hi. Yeah. Yeah.

[42:32]

Right, sure. Right, sure. Right. Yes. Yeah. Yes, yes, thank you.

[44:05]

Yeah, we have to, you know, it's, an appropriate response does not mean, you know, judging someone in terms of how we respond to them. We may have our ideas about this, but then we have to forgive them for, you know, whatever causes and conditions brought them to that and see, as you say, see them as human too. And so how do we, yeah. And in terms of the Buddhist jargon, you know, I mean, appropriate response isn't so much jargon. But, you know, we don't have to talk about it as Buddhists. That's not the point. But how to respond to people in ways that they can hear. And that's, so that's the real test of this idea of appropriate response. How do we find the response that each meets each. That we can actually recognize in somebody who we, you know, very strongly disagree with.

[45:11]

As the example you gave, some commonality or some humanity or some basis for something we can talk about. So that's a very challenging practice that this person, you talked about how that she does. Sometimes appropriate response may be when we're not ready to respond to someone who we disagree with that strong. Just to not try to, you know, to try and convert somebody to my viewpoint or to some other viewpoint without acknowledging their, the complexity of their humanity is not an appropriate response. So, yeah, thank you for that. This is, you know, on some level it seems very easy, just okay. There's a kind of simultaneous, okay, I'm just going to respond to what's in front of me.

[46:12]

But when that is something very disturbing, then how do we, what is skillful response? And often that means patience. Which again, just like the eye is not, this is the way in which the eye is not passive. Patience is to pay attention and be ready to respond when we see some way to respond. Sometimes there's not. So this is subtle. Thank you. We're sort of at time, but if anybody else has some last comment or response or question or reflection, please. Yes, Bill.

[47:18]

I just wanted to just, maybe this is an apropos of your talk, but I just wanted to kind of appreciate, I feel like it's a really difficult time and there's, it's easy to get caught up in lots of talk and worry and anxiety. And today, just sitting in Zen Do, I just appreciate so much the silence. Yes. Sitting, you know, in a sangha and quiet and silence, I just felt really today the power of that. So I just wanted to kind of appreciate that. Yeah, silence can be a very appropriate response. Yes, David, last word. You just said something. There's so much talk, and not just talk, it's been big speeches going back and forth on all sides. How do we, from a Bodhisattva perspective, handle that?

[48:20]

How do we not get caught up in that? I'm sure there's many of us who are partisan in one way or the other, and we wind up getting caught up in our own side. How do we do that from a Bodhisattva perspective? Yeah, recognize, well, I would just say recognize that you have some side that you're, that you, you know, believe or whatever. And don't hang onto it too tightly. You know, be willing to shift and be flexible. I think that's helpful. And to not try and, you know, again, not trying to impose my viewpoint on someone else. If we disagree, and the example you gave is, you know, really strong. But when we disagree, we can talk about it in a way that recognizes the other person's, you know, humanity. And to actually listen as well as share our truth.

[49:24]

So... It doesn't mean to give up and become passive. But how do we respond in a way that we can, you know, hear that we just have one perspective? And we may feel it strongly, but how do we express that in a way that recognizes the other person's perspective? So this is challenging stuff. And this is, you know, very much, you know, the challenge of our time in this year and all the conflict. And it's an election year on top of everything else. So please take care and try to respond to your appropriate response. So thank you all very much.

[50:18]

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